Bears hope to have Miller back at quarterback

The Chicago Bears hope to have Jim Miller back as their starting quarterback Sunday when they host the Philadelphia Eagles in Champaign, Ill.

"Jim practiced [Wednesday] and I thought he practiced well," Bears coach Dick Jauron said in a conference call. "Hopefully, he'll be able to go."

Miller, a nine-year veteran, completed 104 of 177 passes for 1,217 yards and 10 touchdowns (with six interceptions) in five starts before missing the last two games because of shoulder and elbow soreness.

Miller's backup is Chris Chandler, who has completed 31 of 50 passes for 339 yards and two TDs.

Although the 2-5 Bears were only 2-3 with Miller as their starter this season, they attribute much of the success they had while going 13-3 last season to him. Miller threw only five passes in the Bears-Eagles NFC semifinal playoff game last January before he was knocked from the game by a Hugh Douglas hit. Douglas was not penalized but was later fined. The Eagles won, 33-19.

Tuned in: While fans in Birdsland and elsewhere around the NFL can't get enough of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb's highlights on TV, McNabb can't get enough of another player's highlights.

"I've seen him play ever since he came out of high school [because] we recruited him at Syracuse," McNabb said. "I've talked to him plenty of times. I'm excited for him; he's a hard worker. He's making good decisions in his second year."

Vick, who went to Virginia Tech and became the No. 1 pick of the 2001 NFL Draft, is having a McNabb-like impact on Atlanta's opponents.

Vick leads all NFL quarterbacks with 367 rushing yards and has completed 84 of 135 passes for 959 yards and four touchdowns without throwing an interception.

The fallout: Although the season-ending injury suffered by Giants wide receiver Ike Hilliard was focusing some attention elsewhere, New York coach Jim Fassel was still taking a beating in the New York media in the wake of the Giants' 17-3 loss to the Eagles.

Fassel admitted he is considering taking over offensive play calling, which has been responsibility of coordinator Sean Payton since late in the 1999 season.